Notice any difference between the attitude of Paul in the second reading and that of the workers in Matthew’s Gospel? The workers grumble because the latecomers got the same pay as those who worked all day. Paul has worked for the Lord for years, yet he thinks it is better to keep working than to claim his reward of eternal life.
The workers grumbled because the landowner gave the same wages to the ones who only worked for an hour. (You can imagine the picket signs: Vinedressers Local on Strike: Management Unfair!) Matthew was referring to the Jews who had served God for centuries and now saw newcomer Gentiles claiming equality in the church. They were complaining about God’s generosity in reaching out to all peoples, not just the chosen few. God’s generosity is the real point. Contrast that with Paul, who loves the Philippians so much that he is willing to put off his heavenly reward if he can help any more people come to Christ. That is the attitude that Jesus hopes for in all his disciples. We can care more about bringing Jesus to others than we do about our own comfort or even our lives. We can do this because we know the Lord’s ways are not fair— they are more generous than we can imagine!
Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications